Coming Home
by FromWithin
Summary: Peyton has come back to Tree Hill after 4 years in LA to try and mend things with Lucas. Now someone's watching them from the shadows, invisible to the world. Peyton and Lucas centric
1. Home Again

Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or anything related to it

It was a peaceful night. The air was cool and a slight breeze ruffled the newly born leaves in tree-lined street. Everything was calm and seemed in place. Everything except for Peyton.

She leaned outside her apartment window staring into the clear night imagining all the happy families tucked away for the night. God, what she wouldn't do to have a family like that. Just someone to go home to and find comfort in, someone to watch over her and protect her while she slept.

That's one of the reasons she came back to Tree Hill. She missed her friends, the friends who over the years had become her family. Most of all she missed Lucas. But why didn't she tell anyone she was coming back? No, instead she rented this apartment just on the outskirts of Tree Hill and hid from those she longed to see the most.

It had been nearly four years and she had lost contact with just about everyone. She wasn't even sure if any of them wanted to see her. She knew she had pushed Lucas away. But it wasn't on purpose, she was just being honest. She should know by now that being honest only makes things worse. He had come to see her, not only see her but to propose to her. Who was he kidding they hadn't seen each other in what felt like forever. Not to mention they lived on opposite sides of the country. She was in LA working on her music career and he was in Tree Hill writing his book. She just didn't feel ready, but she knew she wanted him.

She told him that she wasn't ready to get married but someday she would be. He took it as a rejection and stormed out, they hadn't talked since. It's not what she wanted, she wanted him but she wasn't prepared for his impromptu proposal. She loved him but he just couldn't understand that sometimes love has to wait.

Her career in LA wasn't taking her where she wanted to go so now she was back in Tree Hill and wanted to patch things up with Lucas. It was just hard.

Peyton pulled herself back in from the serenity of the quiet street. She shut the window and closed the blinds. She wasn't ready for what Tree Hill held for her but coming back was a start. Who knows, a new day awaited her tomorrow, anything can happen.

She crawled into her bed and looked around at the walls. They were void of anything that was her. No posters of her favorite bands or meaningful drawings. They were blank, nothing but paint and wallpaper. They meant nothing to her. Coming back to Tree Hill would mean nothing if she couldn't find the strength to face her fears. Maybe tomorrow will be the day she thought as she drifted off to sleep.

--

He lay awake for what seemed like hours. Looking at the clock he realized that it had been hours, it was now 3:50 am. But something kept him thinking; there was a nagging sensation that tugged at his mind and his heart.

A few days ago he felt what seemed like a rift in the atmosphere. Like something had changed. Later that day he was taking a drive to clear his head when he saw it. The car was unmistakable. It's the same one he had towed when he first started talking to the blonde. It's the same car he had fixed after Nathan had crashed it. Which only means one thing, she was back.

But that had been days ago and he hadn't heard a word from her. Not that she was coming back or that she was back. He was going to wait for her to come to him, in due time she would find her way. He couldn't wait to see her face again and look into those beautiful eyes despite everything that had happened between the two of them.

Just knowing that she was back in town had kept him awake every night just thinking about her. Love was a difficult emotion to control, mainly because you can't control it. Sometimes love puts you in the most difficult situations.

The form beside him turned and a sleepy face looked up into his.

"What are you doing up so late baby?" She asked.

"Nothing I've just got a lot on my mind," he replied looking lovingly into his girlfriend's concerned eyes.

"Anything you need to talk about?" Asked Lindsay as she wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his chest.

"I don't think so, I've just been thinking a lot about the past. There's nothing to worry about, how about we just go back to sleep," said Lucas kissing the top of her head and stroking her hair as she fell back to sleep.

Author's Note: I really hope you like this. It's my first attempt at a One Tree Hill fanfic and I tried so please enjoy. Reviews are appreciated, thank you. : )


	2. Reuniting

Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or anything related to it.

"Peyton, honey, you need to relax." Peyton's early morning phone call had jolted Brooke out of her bed in her New York apartment. Why would her best friend call her so early in the morning if it wasn't life threatening. Of course, it was Lucas.

"Brooke I don't know what I was thinking coming back here. There's no way he's going to want to see me. It's been so long, I should've just stayed in LA."

"But you even said it, there's nothing for you in LA. It's not what you want. I think it's great that you moved back to Tree Hill, but you so should have told me first. I would've come back with you, I've really been meaning to get back to my roots."

It was true, Brooke missed Tree Hill and all of her friends. But she had a thriving clothing line with Clothes Over Bros and had been so caught up in New York life. This was the excuse she had been waiting for to come back home. Her best friend needed her and she would drop everything for her skinny blonde friend.

"No Brooke, you can't come running to my rescue every time I have a Lucas crisis. It's not fair to you, you have so much going on in your own life. I just need someone to talk to, I don't know what to do. It was a mistake for me to come back here."

It was only seven o'clock but Brooke could tell that Peyton had been up for awhile running different scenarios though her mind of how everything could turn out. From the sound of her voice she had spent more time thinking about all the ways it could turn out bad. But no matter what she was going to be there for Peyton. She had long gotten over all of her issues she had with her ex-boyfriend and best friend. Now she just wanted to see Peyton happy. Peyton deserved to be happy for once in her life.

"I don't want to hear it Peyton, I'm packing and catching a flight to Tree Hill today. That's after I catch a few more hours of sleep. I understand you may not need it P. Sawyer, but those of us who are human do."

"I don't think you know how much I love you B. Davis."

"Oh I think I have a pretty good idea." It was going to be a long day for both of them. _Better get some sleep while I can_, thought Brooke as she drifted off to sleep once again.

--

Peyton stifled a laugh. Brooke had meant well and she really appreciated her coming back to support her, but she had her own life and it wasn't in Tree Hill. She really didn't want to be responsible for Brooke leaving the new life she created for herself. But she knew how stubborn her friend could be, no matter what she said Brooke was coming back. She loved her for that, and no matter how much she wanted Brooke to stay in New York she couldn't wait for her to come back even more.

--

Nathan had taken Jamie out for the afternoon leaving Haley alone in house. It was a beautiful day outside but she had chosen to stay inside rather then lay out near the pool soaking up the rays or pulling weeds from the flowerbed in front of the house. Ever since she had given birth to Jamie it was impossible for her to even think about her music, something that had been such a big part of her life at one point. She had her hands full raising her son, maintaining a house, and keeping up with school. It was days like this that she relished. Peace and quiet where she could just sit on the couch and strum her guitar making new melodies and singing old ones.

That's exactly what she was doing when the doorbell rang. She set her guitar down and made her way to the door. The face she saw when she opened that door was warm and elated, it was one of the last ones she would have expected to see on her doorstep.

"Oh my god Peyton, what are you doing here?" Asked Haley as she pulled Peyton into a huge hug.

"Haley, I've missed you so much, it's good to see you." The two hugged for what seemed like forever. Haley had forgotten what it was like to hug Peyton. She had left four years ago for LA and all she had heard from her was in the form of e-mails and quick phone calls but even then they had come few and far apart. She hadn't even known that Peyton was back in town.

After they finally pulled apart from their embrace Haley dragged Peyton inside. She watched as Peyton looked around taking in every bit of her new surroundings. She had never seen the house that her and Nathan had bought for themselves.

"So what do you think, do you like the place? Who would have ever thought that me and Nathan would have a family together and be living in such a great place?"

"Oh I always knew it would happen. You two are perfect for each other. It only makes sense for such amazing people," replied Peyton smiling at her friend.

"Yeah you know, I knew it too," said Haley with the same charm that had attracted Nathan to her years before. "Why don't you let me give you the grand tour?" She grabbed Peyton's hand and dragged her through every room of the house filling her in on everything that had been going on in her, Nathan, and Jamie's lives. They ended in the kitchen where Haley grabbed a pitcher of lemonade from the refrigerator and lead Peyton out back by the pool.

After attempting to absorb everything Haley had told her, Peyton proceeded to tell Haley about her job in LA. How it wasn't what she wanted. She wanted music to mean more than what her employers did and so she quit. She felt that there wasn't anything out there for her so she moved back to Tree Hill.

"How long are you going to be staying?" Haley asked her friend. From the sound of it, it didn't seem like she was going to be in town for too long.

"I'm actually not sure yet. I've got a lot of decisions to make. Decisions about my life and where I want to take it and what I want to do. It depends how long it takes me to find the path I want to take."

"So you're not back for good?" She could see the hurt in Peyton's eyes when she asked. She really wanted her to stay. Things had been so different without Peyton and Brooke around. Things weren't the same, she missed the way everything used to be.

"Probably not, I'm sorry Haley, it's just…"

"No I understand completely. We just all really miss you Peyton. We want you back. Does Lucas know your back yet?" Haley thought she knew the answer to the question before she even asked it but she wanted to hear it from Peyton.

"I haven't quite told him yet," said Peyton breaking eye contact and looking down at the ground.

"You know he's going to find out sooner or later."

"Yeah, I know. I just don't think I'm ready to face him yet. Things are…complicated between the two of us, you know. Just like old times, you see not everything has changed," Peyton laughed lightly. "But speaking of people coming back, Brooke's coming back today. She's hoping on a flight and flying back."

"The gang reunited, finally!" Haley was so excited to have two of her best friends home. Now if only she could convince them to stay, everything would be perfect.

The two sat sipping lemonade for hours. They reminisced about their high school days, they talked about days they missed with each other, and they pondered about the future. It felt like the world had come to a stand still just so they could relax and enjoy each other's presence.

--

He had been sitting in Haley and Nathan's driveway for about 20 minutes. He had come to return something to Nathan but he wasn't home.

As soon he turned the corner onto their street he noticed the same car he had seen days ago. Peyton Sawyer was at the Scott's house but he wasn't sure if he was ready to see her yet. Instead he sat in the driveway with his window rolled down listening to the laughter coming from the backyard. God how he missed her laugh, her eyes, and her smile. God how he missed her.

He couldn't do it anymore; he just had to see her. Tonight was the night that Lucas was going to let Peyton back into his life. He pulled out of the driveway and as he drove down the street he looked back in his mirror. She was so close yet farther away than anyone could ever know.

--

"Brooke it's nine o'clock where are you? I thought you were going to be here hours ago," said Peyton pacing back and forth across her apartment with her cell phone pressed to her ear.

"I'm really sorry Peyton, I couldn't get a flight out until Monday so I'm driving, and I'm only about two hours away but that's going the speed limit. You know if you wanted I could probably make it there in an hour." Peyton could hear Brooke chuckling on the other end.

"You better not speed to get here, it's not even that important. I just can't wait to see you again." There was a knock on Peyton's door. "Hold on a second Brooke."

Peyton opened the door and almost dropped her phone in shock.

"Brooke I'll call you back," with a quick flip of her wrist she closed her phone and looked up into the beautiful blue eyes that belonged to Lucas Scott.

Author's Note: I really hope everyone enjoys this chapter.


	3. Dearly Departed

Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or anything related to it.

"Peyton."

"Lucas, what are you doing here? How did you…why did you?" Peyton was at a loss for words. She hadn't expected to see Lucas standing in her doorway. She wasn't quite sure she was ready for the confrontation.

"Peyt, slow down. How about one question at a time. Let's start with can I come in?" He was just so Lucas. Sensible and charming, not to mention cute.

She let out a little laugh and relaxed. How could she have been so nervous about seeing him again? "Of course Luke, I'm sorry. Come on in."

He took a step inside and she watched him look around. She couldn't tell what the look on his face meant, but it wasn't one of joy.

"Is something wrong?" She asked.

"No, it's just, this place. It's nice, it's just not you." He was right, she had always been the artist, posters and drawings were always plastered on her walls. These walls were bland, nothing to show the personality of the renter. They might as well have been nonexistent or been painted gray or an ugly color of the sort.

"This is only a temporary arrangement. I don't want to get too comfortable in case I don't end up staying. It's hard to leave things when you get too attached to them."

"Why wouldn't you stay?" Asked Lucas looking into her eyes.

"No reason really, but you never know things can happen." She should know, she was the queen of things happening out of the blue. "Haley told you I was here didn't she?"

"Well, yeah, but I've known. I saw you car days ago parked on the side of the street. Not too many people drive an old Comet around. In fact I think you're the only one." It was true, it seemed like no one drove those cars anymore, they were so old but she loved hers.

"Good to know, now I need to sell my car and buy something more up to date," she said laughing.

"Funny you should say that because it kind of brings me to my question. Why didn't you come see me Peyton? You've been in town for what? A week now? And the first I hear about it is from Haley who says you stopped by yesterday. I was starting to wonder if you were trying to avoid me."

"You know it's not that Luke, it's just, you know how we left things the last time we saw each other. Don't tell me it wouldn't be awkward me showing back up in town after that acting like everything is okay."

"I didn't think it would be awkward. We're adults now and what's in the past is in the past. It doesn't matter anymore."

"It should matter Luke, it was a big deal, we just can't let it go."

"It's the best thing for us Peyt. We need to let go, I have and I'm ready to move forward with my life," replied Lucas wrapping her up in a hug. It felt so good to have him close to her again. She didn't want to leave his embrace, it made her feel so safe and warm.

"Luke, I just want everything to be okay between us," said Peyton looking up at him.

"Peyton, everything is going to be fine with the two of us." Lucas looked back into her eyes, she felt like he was looking into her soul. In the next split second he had gone from gazing into her eyes to leaning down and catching her in a kiss.

She closed her eyes and kissed back. Her lips pressed softly against his as he held her face gently between his hands, kissing back. She wrapped her arms around his neck; she didn't dare let go now. The thumping of her heart was so loud it gave her stereo competition. He released her face and wrapped her up in his arms.

Lucas picked her up slightly off of the ground so her feet didn't touch it anymore. It was like she was floating, a feeling that she was familiar with around him. They became more and more intense, each one seemingly wanting the other more and more with every touch of the lips. He carried her over to the couch.

This was more than she had ever imagined happening. She had hoped for conversation, and now they were making out in her living room.

"Lucas."

"Peyton." So simple were their statements, but so powerful. Lucas cradled Peyton's head with one hand and held his other behind her back lowering her down to the couch. An intense passion filled every kiss, it was like they were in a romance film and the most beautiful song was playing in the background but only Peyton could hear it. She started unbuttoning his shirt when his hand caught one of hers.

"Peyton, wait," he trailed.

"We've waited so long already," replied Peyton gently touching his face.

"Peyton, I can't…I'm in love. I have a girlfriend. I wanted to tell you." Peyton's whole body froze. She looked into his eyes. She had thought they had been filled with love only moments ago but now all she saw was guilt and shame.

"Get out, get out of my apartment." She pushed him off of her and rolled off of the couch, springing to her feet. Unbelievable. He had lead her on, making her believe he wanted her. Now he was shoving a knife through her heart and twisting it. The passion and the love she had felt, it was all fake.

He stood looking at her dumbly, "Peyton let me explain, we need to talk about this." He looked crushed, but not as crushed as she had felt.

"You know what, never mind, you can stay. I'll leave," said Peyton grabbing her jacket and keys, storming out the door. She just couldn't bear to look at him.

She slid into the driver's seat and started the engine of her car. Her hands gripped the steering wheel but instead of leaving she just sat and stared into the curtains of her apartment window. She hadn't thought to close them the whole time they were in there, but that didn't matter now.

She had spent most of her life crying and she wanted it to stop. It hurt so much to cry. A single tear escaped her eye and slid down her cheek. Her knuckles were turning white from gripping the steering wheel.

She blinked. She just wanted to stop. Stop hurting, stop putting herself in a position to get her, stop loving. She reached down and put her car in drive. She didn't know where she was going to go. Anywhere was better then where she was. She should've known that if she put her guard down around her heart then it would get broken. It always got broken, but not this time, this time it was shattered.

--

"I really messed up this time, I knew I shouldn't but I couldn't help it, I love her." It had been years since his Uncle Keith had been killed but Lucas still came to his grave to talk to him. It felt like Keith was there with him helping him through all the rough times.

"God Keith, what am I supposed to do now. I've driven her away, I know I have. She's not going to stick around Tree Hill after this, and I don't blame her. Why is it I always screw up with Peyton, I just can't think right when I'm around her." He was kneeling on the ground, eyes closed, just trying to feel Keith's presence. He needed help with this one, he screwed up royally and knew it.

"Why is it you can't seem to do anything right with that girl," a voice said from behind. Lucas stood up and turned around. He knew that voice.

"Nathan, what are you doing here?"

"Just coming to pay my respects to Keith. What about you?"

"Really needed to talk to someone and Keith was always there for me, shouldn't be any different now. I really screwed things up with Peyton," said Lucas.

"Yeah, I actually already heard." Lucas was surprised, news tended to travel fast in Tree Hill. He was half expecting Lindsay to call him up on his phone giving him a piece of her mind.

"I don't know what to do bro, I've always loved Peyton, but she broke my heart. Now I have Lindsay. I think I know what I have to do but I don't think I can do it, I'm not ready for it."

"Well Luke, the only advice I have for you is to think with your heart not your head. It might be hard but you have to figure this thing out. It isn't fair to either of them." Nathan was right, when it came to matters of the heart Lucas trusted him. Him and Haley had been through so much but they were still together and happy. "Come on dude, let's go play some ball. I bet I can kick your ass."

"Yeah, just give me a minute I have one more thing to do while I'm here. Meet you at Rivercourt, alright." The two boys departed, Nathan heading towards his car and Lucas heading deeper into the sea of headstones. He stopped when he found the particular one he was looking for and knelt down in front of it.

"Hi Mrs. Sawyer. I know I never knew you or anything but I just wanted to say that you have the most beautiful and courageous daughter. I'm so lucky to know her, and if you're watching from where you are, I just want to say I'm sorry for everything I've put her through, she deserves better. But rest assured knowing that she has so many people that love her, even though sometimes it gets complicated. No matter what someone will always be there to take care of her."

He reached into his bag and pulled out a picture frame. The picture it displayed was of a young Peyton and her mother. It was going to be his apartment-warming gift for her. It was doubtful they were even going to speak again. He placed the picture on the ground in front of the headstone.

It was strange but Lucas felt a calm overcome him. No matter how difficult the situation might have been, at that moment it felt like everything was going to be ok.

--

The sun showered her face with light. It should've warmed her but it did nothing but make her squint. Peyton was lying stretched out in the back seat of her car with the top down. She had driven all night just to drive. She didn't even notice that she was out of gas until her car started to slow down, leaving her stranded hours from Tree Hill.

She spent another hour just watching the sunrise from the side of the road until she called Brooke to bring her some gas. The sky was so clear and blue. It was a sin to be so miserable on such a gorgeous day but that didn't stop her.

She heard car tires rolling over the gravel behind hers and come to a stop.

"Sawyer, mind explaining to me what you're doing stranded out in the middle of no where so far from home with no gas." Yup, that was Brooke's pissed off voice. But Peyton couldn't blame her she had woken her up early, again.

"If you ask me, this feels more like home than Tree Hill right now," replied Peyton sitting up in her car. Brooke slid into the back seat right next to Peyton. She put her arm around her best friends shoulders.

"Oh honey, I'm sorry I didn't mean to yell. Want to tell me what's going on? I'm pretty sure I can guess that it has to do with Lucas, seeing as you hung up on me last night and I'm almost positive it was him standing in your doorway. Call it best friends intuition." Peyton rested her head on Brooke's shoulder.

"I don't know what I was thinking, what we were thinking. It just happened so fast, now that I think about it I'm not even sure if I wanted to happen," she said.

"Ok, Peyton, sweetie, slow down for a second. What happened exactly?" Asked Brooke stroking Peyton's hair.

"He came to my apartment last night. We talked a little bit, and next thing you know we're making out and I'm talking his shirt off. Everything was perfect, but then he stopped and he told me he was in love, that he had a girlfriend," Brooke froze. "I freaked out and left. I wanted to clear my head so I just drove and eventually I ran out of gas, and here we are."

Peyton felt Brooke tense up. "Wait, did you know? Did you know about Lucas?" She asked sitting up and staring into her guilty eyes.

"Well, I, um, actually just found out a couple of days ago that he was seeing somebody," replied Brooke feeling terrible.

"And you didn't feel it necessary to tell me? I moved all the way back here and everyone knew he had a girlfriend." Incredible, she couldn't believe she was the only one left out of this secret.

"I just found out Peyton, I didn't expect you to move back here, I thought I had time to tell you. And then when you did come back I didn't think you were going to do anything right away. I wanted to tell you face to face," said Brooke defending herself.

"No, I understand Brooke, I'm sorry. It's just so hard. I thought we had something." Her eyes started to water and Brooke pulled her into a big hug. The two sat there for what seemed like forever.

"Brooke, what's her name? What's she like?"

"If you really want to know her name is Lindsay. She's pretty, but not as pretty as you or me. She was Lucas' editor. Nothing special about her if you ask me."

"Well then why did he choose her?" Peyton hadn't expected an answer; she just had to throw that question out there.

They sat there for another half hour until they realized they still had a long drive ahead of them. Brooke got the gas can out of her car and filled Peyton's up. They started up their engines, turned around leaving their peaceful haven in the middle of nowhere.

--

The night before had been quite eventful for him. He watched through the window from the building across the street. He saw the two talk and then start to kiss. How despicable Lucas was, cheating on his girlfriend and playing around with Peyton's tortured heart. It wasn't fair that he could have two beautiful women. But then he saw them get into an argument. He should've figured Lucas couldn't go through with it, he couldn't back when they were alone in the motel room when they went to see if her father had died, and he couldn't now. How sensitive of him.

His eyes had followed Peyton as she got into her car and sat there just staring. When she left he had thought about following her but decided to watch him instead. Lucas stayed for quite some time actually. Looking around her apartment, trying to figure out who she had become. Too bad he would never know.

The only good that had come from the night was now he knew how to get to Lucas. To get him to do whatever he wanted him to do. The plan was forming. It was ingenious, but only he knew it.

Now he was pulling up to the curb outside of Lucas' house, the house where Lindsay had been staying. He got out of his car and placed an envelope in the mailbox. On the front etched in barely legible handwriting was Lindsay's name. Phase one complete now it was just a matter of time until he had everything he wanted.

Author's Note: Sorry it took me awhile to update, I would like to update sooner than that. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed it is very much appreciated. Thank you to everyone who's read as well, I hope this chapter is good, enjoy!


	4. Gone

Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or anything related to it.

Lucas pulled up to the curb by his house. He had just finished up his game with Nathan at the Rivercourt and was coming home to change to go out to dinner with Lindsey. He walked in through the kitchen and into the living room where she was stretched out on the couch sleeping.

He stood at her side and looked down at her. She was so beautiful, he didn't know what he would do without her. He bent down and kissed her and her eyes fluttered open. He pulled back and smiled at her sleep filled eyes.

"Hey baby, I'm home," he said tracing his fingers around the back of her hand.

"Lucas, can we talk?" Asked Lindsey.

"Of course we can, you know I love talking to you," he said kneeling down beside the couch.

"If I ever did something that could hurt you, something bad, you would want me to tell you wouldn't you, rather then keep it a secret?"

"Of course, but there isn't anything you could…" she placed her finger on his lips.

"I expect the same from you too. If you ever did something you would tell me, right?"

"Right," he didn't like where this was going.

"Is there something you need to tell me Lucas?" She asked looking into his eyes, searching for some truth.

"Lindsey, I love you and I wouldn't keep anything from you. Where is this all coming from?" He watched her reach to her back pocket of her jeans and pull out an envelope. She opened it up and handed him the contents. He looked down at what he held. It was a picture, a picture of him and Peyton the night before making out on the couch. He flipped it over looking for any indication who it was from. He couldn't believe this. Someone was watching them the whole time. Taking pictures and scoping out their every move. They obviously wanted something, but what?

"Can you explain this to me," asked Lindsey. He was wrecking his brain trying to figure out something to tell her, he couldn't tell her the truth it would destroy her. He did it to Brooke once and he didn't want to do it to Lindsey now.

"Sweetie, do you remember I told you how I went to visit Peyton in LA before we were even together? I think it's about time I told you the truth. I went there to ask her to marry me. That's when this was taken." _Good excuse Lucas_, he thought to himself.

"These are the same clothes that you were wearing yesterday Luke. Is that just a coincidence? I really don't think so."

"Do you know how long I've had those clothes? Let's face it when you keep the same clothes for as long as I do outfits tend to repeat themselves. So yeah this was just a coincidence. Peyton's still in LA, how could this have happened recently or even since we've been together, I haven't gone to see her? It couldn't have been, I would never do that to you." She looked at him her eyes filled with skepticism.

He touched the side of her face. "You know I wouldn't lie to you Linds. I love you so much. Someone's trying to stir up trouble and I'm not going to let them."

"How would someone get a hold of that picture, why would they send it to me?" She didn't understand anything, they were good people. All she wanted was a quiet life, now someone was trying to mess with that.

"I have no idea baby but I'm going to find out. Nothing is going to break us up. We're stronger then that. But first we are going to go to dinner, I promised we would go where you want to go tonight." She sat up and wrapped her arms around him.

"Lucas I just want everything to be alright. This could get dangerous. What if someone's following you or blackmailing you or something. You should go to the police with this."

"I'll go to the police station first thing in the morning I promise. Everything will be alright as long as I have you." He pulled back from the hug and pulled her in for a kiss. Things were getting really screwed up quick. He had to find out who sent the picture. One of them had a stalker, maybe both. It's the last thing they needed, another stalker. He was afraid for Peyton and he was afraid for Lindsey and he was afraid for himself

--

The anonymous photo hadn't done the job he had hoped it would. But that was okay, that's why people develop plan B's. That's why he developed his plan B, now it was time to put that into effect.

--

Peyton had decided to lay low for a few days, let things cool down and try to clear her head. She had a hard time understanding why he had let that night get so far even though he had a girlfriend. He kissed her first. If he hadn't she might have had an easier time accepting he didn't want her. She probably could've have buried the past like he had said and be happy for him.

But things are never that easy are they? He tried calling her a couple of times but she ignored him each time. She was almost ready to talk to him, in fact she was thinking about texting him and ask him to meet her for lunch tomorrow. For now though she had other important things to think about. Like getting a job, bills don't pay themselves.

She was driving home from picking up some milk, which she didn't realize she had run out of. It was late, almost midnight, the air was cold and the sky was cloudy. She just wanted to curl up in her blankets and go to sleep. She was almost back to her apartment but she had a bad feeling deep in the pit of her stomach.

The same car was behind her ever since she had left the grocery store. She just brushed it off as being paranoid, it was probably just a coincidence it happens all of the time.

She approached a red light and began to slow down. They car behind her changed lanes. _You see, you've been paranoid of nothing, _she thought. Instead of slowing down at the light though, the car kept speeding towards it. Almost into the intersection the driver slammed on the breaks and turned the wheel. When the came to a stop the car, it had be positioned in front of Peyton's car so that she had nowhere to go but backwards.

Peyton's mind was racing she didn't know what to do. Was this a mugging? Maybe another psycho Derek, she couldn't go through that again. But then a familiar face stepped out and walked around the car. Peyton felt slightly relieved but enough knowing what this person was capable of.

Peyton rolled down her window. "Hi Mr. Scott." Dan Scott stood at the window bending down slightly to look her in the eyes. It felt a little creepy the way he was staring at her, without blinking, his eyes void of any emotion.

"Hello Peyton, how's my little slut today?" She couldn't believe what he said to her, but then again it was Dan so she could believe it. "Why don't you turn your car off for a little while, save some battery?"

"You know what Mr. Scott, I actually have some place to be right now so I should get going." Now she was really getting creeped out.

"I really don't think you're going to be making it there Peyton," he said pulling out a gun and pointing it at her. "I'm going to need you to turn off your car and give me the keys."

She stared at the gun in utter disbelief. This couldn't be happening, it just couldn't. There's nothing that he could possible want from her and yet here he was with a gun pointed in her face.

"Peyton, I said give me the keys." She had gone into a slight shock and had forgotten he was even there, the only thing she saw was the gun. She put her car in park and took the key out of the ignition, her hand shaking as she handed him the keys.

"Now get out of the car." She looked away, closing her eyes, which were filling up with tears. The cold of the metal on her chest frightened her even more as he pointed the barrel of the gun directly at her heart. Dan gently caressed her skin with the gun dragging it across the skin of the neck. He held it under her chin like it was his own hand. He forced her to turn her face towards him.

"I'm done with this, get out or it won't end well for you." He opened the door and grabbed her arm holding tightly. She thought frantically for something she could use to help her get away but there was nothing. He reached in and unbuckled her, roughly dragging her out the car. He held the gun in the small of her back and led her over to the trunk of his car. She felt the gun stop pressing into her back and heard the click of the lock on the trunk release. The trunk opened and he pushed her forward.

"I'm not getting in there," it was the first words she had been able to say since he pulled out his weapon. She had to show some sort of bravery, she was not weak. She needed to be able to take care of herself.

"Cute, you think you have a choice," he chuckled. He reached into the trunk and pulled out a bottle and a cloth. He let go of her arm so he could soak the cloth in the chemical the bottle held. He anticipated she'd run so he put his foot out in front of her just as she made to start running. She tripped and landed hard. She tried to soften the landing with her hands but ended up bashing the side of her face into the grounded and scraping up the palms of her hands anyway.

Oh god it hurt like hell. She could feel blood trickling out of the cut she had on her cheek and the small stones lodged around it and in her palms. Dan grabbed her arm and rolled her on her back.

"That's one lesson you're going to have to learn Sawyer. I'm not stupid and you are if you even try to get away." He knelt down on one knee and looked her in the eyes. "It's funny, you're mother met her fate at a red light and here you are meeting yours."

He shoved the cloth in her face. Her nose burned and her lungs filled with the tainted air. She felt her eyes get heavy and in an instant she was out.

He looked down at her sleeping form. How fragile she looked, like he could snap her body in half without even trying. He threw the cloth to the side and bent down picking her up. He placed her in the trunk and closed it. It wouldn't be long until everyone knew she was missing but it was long enough to get where they needed to be.

Author's Note: I'm really sorry it's taking me so long to write. It's final exam time and projects and papers are do, so hang tight I'm doing my best :) Thank you for everyone who has reviewed I love all the great comments. Enjoy this new chapter, I'll have to next one up asap.


	5. Blazes

Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or anything related to it.

He had been tossing and turning all night. Something was off, he just wasn't sure what it was yet. His heart was moving faster than normal and his stomach churned. He watched the clock slowly tick off the minutes and hours before he had to wake up. He stared up at the ceiling thinking of Peyton, of her return to Tree Hill, of their years at Tree Hill High, the first time they kissed, then again when she was shot. When they kissed in her apartment and everytime in between. He remembered the good and the bad, some memories made him smile and others cringe but it was her that he was thinking about as he finally drifted off into a slumber.

He could tell the difference between dreams and reality, unfortunately he was back to reality. The sleep that overcame him had left him as quickly as it had come. Now orange and yellow colors played across the back of his eyelids verifying his state of awake. He forced himself to open his sleep filled eyes. Something from outside the window lit up half of the room. He carefully pulled himself from under the covers trying not to wake Lindsey up, the effort all for nothing when he bashed his leg into the nightstand and let out a curse.

"Lucas, what are you doing?" Asked a groggy Lindsey from bed.

"Some thing's going on outside. I'll let you know in a second." Lucas drew back the curtains, his eyes widening in horror. A huge fire roared in the driveway, the flames licking up at tree branches threatening to consume them. He couldn't tell what was ablaze but whatever it was was big enough to engulf half the driveway. "Lindsey, call the fire department, there's a fire in the driveway."

Lucas stumbled throughout the room looking for a light. He flicked it on and tossed Lindsey his cellphone. She frantically dialed as he threw on a sweatshirt and bolted down the stairs and into the kitchen grabbing the fire extinguisher.

If it wasn't for the intense heat from the fire it would have been a cold night. Now that he was outside in front of the fire it was quite clear what was the victim; an old blue Comet. Only one person he knew drove a Comet.

"Peyton!! Oh my god Peyton, are you in there?" He yelled racing to the drivers side door attempting to coat the flames with the white inflammable foam. All he needed was to get to the door, damn it, why won't they just go away! The flames kept springing back slowly conquering the car, laughing at him for his feeble attempt to destroy them. Lindsey emerged from the house sliding her arms through the sleeves of her robe.

"Lucas! Luke! Get away from there you're going to get hurt. The fire department is on their way, leave it for them to put out. Luke!" She yelled to him. He could hear the sirens way in the distance but there was no time if she was in there.

"Lindsey, it's Peyton's car! She could be in there I need to get her out!" Now he was scrambling for ideas to get into the car. He looked down at the fire extinguisher and it clicked. He had put the fire out over half the door including the window. He threw his hood up over his head and balled his hands up in his sweatshirt. He picked up the extinguisher and slammed the butt of it into the window. Just a couple of cracks. He slammed it again, the glass began to spiderweb.

"Lucas, no it's too dangerous," he heard Lindsey yell as he took one more swing completely shattering the window. He cleared the window of all the excess glass and tossed his tool to the lawn.

He leaned into the hole he created. He breathed a sigh of relief, the flames had not made their way inside to torment the interior yet. His eyes began to scan the car when something flew into his side slamming him sideways into the door frame. He felt his head crack against the windshield and felt the blood streaming down his face. A scream from the outside threw his mind into a world of disorientation. He needed to get back to his mission but his side throbbed and it seemed to be getting hotter. He glanced back, his shirt had caught fire. He was on fire! He pulled himself out of the car and threw himself on the ground rolling the fire out.

Lindsey came running to his side trying to pull him up to sit. He looked around and found the culprit, a branch had started fire and burned off from the rest of the tree. During the fall it had hit him and spread the fire to his clothes.

The fire department pulled up with ambulances and cop cars following. People flew from every which direction. Lucas jumped up and ran at them.

"There might be someone in there, you need to get her out. Hurry up, get her out!" He yelled. A large burly man stopped him.

"Sir we will do our best but I need you stay out of the way so that we can do our job. Right now I need to get you checked out. You've got some nasty burns there," he said motioning to his side.

"I'll be fine, I need to know she's ok," he turned back to the spectacle. The firefighter grabbed his shoulder.

"You won't do anyone any good unless you get checked out," definitely not taking no for an answer. He steered Lucas to the ambulance where a paramedic began patching him up. Lindsey came over and sat next to him.

"Sir, your injuries aren't bad enough that I have to take you to the hospital but I do recommend it," said the paramedic.

"No...no I'm fine."

"If that's what you want to do but you will need to come in tomorrow to get a check-up. Can I change your mind about coming with me now?"

"I said no, I'm fine," he growled back.

"Are you ok baby?" Lindsey asked.

"I'm fine, I need to know if Peyton's okay. I didn't have time to look, I should've checked. She has to..." he trailed off.

"Everything will be fine, we have to let the firemen do their jobs. I can't believe this is happening, I can't believe you risked your life. It's just so...incredible." They sat in the quiet for what seemed like eternity, Lindsey watching the paramedics and Lucas staring off in the distance. Soon the flames were put out. A new man approached them, this one was obviously part of the firefight.

"Lucas Scott?" He asked looking down at a clipboard. "The good news is there was no one inside the car. The bad news is this was intentional. The car seems to have been dosed in gasoline and then set on fire. I know you've had a long night but I'm afraid it's going to get longer. The police will want to talk to you both. There's a good chance they'll take you down to the station. I'm sorry to say that the car isn't salvageable but I'm sure you would have figured that one out already. Our men are going to clean up and let the police take it from here." He clasped his hand on Lucas' shoulder looking sympathetic to the empty look that had fallen on his face.

Intentional? Why would someone do this? More importantly where was Peyton, how did her car get here. Something was wrong, where the hell was Peyton? This could not be happening. Someone was definitely after them, both of them. But why? Who? So many questions, they were only the beginning. The police were going to question them and he didn't have answers. It was going to be a long night. He watched as a police officer strode towards them. Oh Peyton, where are you? Please be ok.

--

Oh it was truly a beautiful blaze. Campfires in boy-scouts did not come close to comparing. It was so thrilling to see him running frantic for his beloved. Then he got hurt! Damn, could it get any better.

They were so distracted with the fire that they didn't notice me slip in through the front door. I had at least all night to plant my message. The police were taking them downtown to be questioned.

I would not need the entire night but it was comforting knowing that it was there, maybe a could take a look around the place, really get to know my _son_.

--

She was in and out of consciousness. At one point she heard the engine stop and a car door slam. The trunk opened and the last thing she saw before she was out of it again was Dan's sadistical grinning face leaning down to pick her up.

She immediatly felt movement when she woke up again. They were still driving, one more trunk to lay in. During the switch of cars Dan must've bound her arms behind her back and gagged her, it felt like it had been hours, her shoulders were so sore. He had left her legs unbound so she used them to kicked every hard surface she could hit trying to make as much noise as possible. 15 minutes of fruitless labors left her struggling to suck in air through her nose and her legs helplessly tired. But maybe, she thought, he had left something in the trunk that she could use to get free.

She maneuvered her way towards the back of the trunk, with no lights it was impossible to see anything so she had to try to feel her way around. As she got closer to the back she felt a wetness on her arms and clothing. _Argh, leave it to Dan to spill something in the trunk_. But she didn't care as long as she could find a way to get away from him.

Her foot kicked something soft, she couldn't make out what it was. Moving close to the object she determined that it was at least as big as she was, not too mention it seemed like that's where the wetness originated from. The car hit a big bump and the object toppled on top of her, pinning her to the floor of the trunk. The car came to a stop and she heard a door open and close. A key turned in the lock and Dan pulled it open filling the trunk with sunlight.

Peyton looked at what had fallen on her and began screaming the best she could with the gag. Her eyes filled with horror as Dan's laugh filled the air. On top of her was a man not much older than herself. Eyes wide staring straight into hers, the body utterly motionless. Stab wounds riddled his body almost to the point of complete mutilation. Dan reached in and grabbed Peyton by the arm and pulled her to her feet outside of the car. Her screams continued accompanied by streams of tears, utter shock present on her face as she looked down at herself and realized she had been rolling in his blood. Her clothes had begun to soak it in and it was smeared all over her arms, face, and hair. She held back the urges she had to throw up and struggled to get out of Dan's mace-like grip on her arm but to no avail.

"Surprise, surprise Peyton," he said still laughing at her distress. "I see you've already made a friend." He slammed the trunk shut.

Finally looking around at her settings she noticed it was daytime. They were standing at the begining of a path into some woods. He began walking into them pulling her with him. She refused to move her feet. He quickly spun her around and pulled out a knife pointing the tip dangerously close to her throat.

"We can do this the easy way or the hard way Peyton, it's your choice. Our friend in there choose the hard way." Tears flowed mercilesslydown her cheeks. "Corporate with me or I'll be the last person you ever see again. Do you understand?" Peyton shook her head yes trying to get ahold of her composure. "You're a good girl Peyton," he said stroking her blood covered hair, her wide-eyes full of terror. He began on the journey again pulling her alongside of him. She could only hope at this point that someone would come looking for her.

Author's Note: I am so incredibly sorry that it has taken this long to update. My computer broke and I couldn't afford to get it fixed. It took me SIX months to find someone who did it for free. But I'm back now, hopefully your not too mad. But I enjoyed this chapter, it was interesting to write so I hope you like it too. Reviews are lovely, and thank you to everyone who already has reviewed!! Don't worry I'm back for good...or until it breaks again.


End file.
